The Masked Professor
by gorbash33
Summary: Modern adaptation of PotO. Erik is a professor who falls for his student Christine. Will they risk it all for a chance at love or will Christine go for fellow student Raoul? Rating may go up in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

The Masked Professor (silly title I know haha)

"Erik, I have the list of students that will be in your acting class this semester," Nadir, Dr. Erik Destler's personal secretary said as he entered the rather dim but spacious underground office. Erik snatched his flesh colored mask off his desk and put it back on his face with such haste that Nadir almost would have missed what his face looked like.

"Oh, Nadir, it's just you..." Erik trailed off as he slightly relaxed in his desk chair. "I was worried there for a moment that someone would have caught me with my mask off…and you know what that means, eh old friend?"

"That you would have had to kill them?" Nadir guessed, hoping sincerely that Erik would have better sense than that after all these years.

"Precisely. And that would just complicate things here, now wouldn't it?" Erik said, appearing to be smirking underneath the mask which covered the whole left side of his face.

"Have I taught you nothing?" Nadir started off on his friend for what seemed the hundredth time since they met each other nearly twenty-five years ago. "Violence is never the answer, Erik, even if it seems to be second nature. You are never going to-"

Erik cut him off by holding up his hand in a commanding fashion. "Hush. My head already hurt before you came in, which is why I took my mask off in the first place. Your incessant lecturing is not helping anything. I am a grown man, Nadir. I do have some sense of what is acceptable, even if I do disagree with nearly every social norm this damn country holds."

Nadir opened his mouth again to argue but Erik simply shook his head. "I highly suggest you think twice before opening that mouth of yours again. You said you have my roster? Give it here." He held his hand out, this time open towards Nadir waiting to be given the sheets of paper. Nadir sighed and placed the stapled papers in Erik's hand and began to turn away when Erik spoke again. "Christine Daae? Daae…I have heard that name before, but I've never met this girl. Who is she?"

Nadir was well known on campus to actually take the time to get to know the students whereas Erik hardly bothered to learn the names of the students he taught. He seldom held office hours and most people knew better than to just barge into his room. Instead they would relay whatever business they had with Erik to Nadir or send Erik emails. "Daae? Wasn't her father the famous violinist who died a few years back? He was well known throughout the world. Christine is a rather shy girl from what I understand, but she is in the choir and helps with the musicals. I believe she is actually an English major though...what a waste. With the talent that is in her blood, she surely should be focusing on her music."

Erik just stared at his old friend for a moment, amazed yet again how he always seemed to know something about every student. "Helps with the musical? But I have final say over all the singers in the show, why don't I know her?"

"Because she spends her time doing behind the scene work like stage craft and costuming," he replied.

"Well that won't do at all…" Erik muttered while returning his gaze back to the list of students.


	2. Chapter 2

Author Note: Thanks for the reviews so far! I really appreciate it. This chapter is much longer than the first one. Just a warning…if you are easily offended by cursing I apologize…Meg tends to have a rather…spirited vocabulary…

Christine stood in front of her dorm room mirror scrutinizing the way she looked. It was the first day of classes of sophomore year, and she thought it was important to try to look nice since she would meet knew people. A frown formed on her lips as she eyeballed her outfit choice for the fifth time.

"Seriously, Chris, you look fine. In fact you look damn fine. Stop worrying!" Meg Giry, Christine's roommate and best friend said to her when she noticed Christine glued to the mirror. "Why do you put yourself through this every semester?"

"Excuse me for thinking its important to make a good impression on the first day of classes. I have all new professors since I just picked up this theatre minor you're forcing on me, so I want them to think of me fondly." Christine went back to looking at the mirror thinking how Meg just didn't understand. Meg was beautiful and she knew it, so she never put any effort into how she looked. Christine was not as confident.

Meg looked up from her new laptop and started laughing. "You are a huge dork, I hope you know that. Which theatre professors do you have again? My mom, obviously but who else?" Meg's mom was the leading dance instructor at the schools and Meg shared the same love of dancing with her.

"Um, Dr. Destler, I believe? Aren't you in that class too?"

"Oh, right, the acting class. I can't believe we are submitting ourselves to that kind of hell already. Mom told me that he wears that mask because half of his face is just missing. She's worked with the man for ten years and never once has he taken it off that she has seen." Meg started to mess with her long blonde hair absentmindedly and grinned. "But, damn, I could listen to him talk all day long. That deep voice is hypnotizing. I don't care if people say he like, lives in the basement of the theatre or something…"

Christine rolled her eyes at her friend and said, "Oh, Meg. Can't you keep it in your pants just once? But a mask? Really? Don't students find it to be distracting?"

Meg's eyes went wide. "Oh, no. Everyone knows not to stare at it. Don't draw attention to it. I've heard that he has gone totally ballistic at students before who asked too many questions. He is effed up, man."

Christine grabbed her backpack and put her shoes on. "Well, I guess I'm as ready as I will ever be for this. You coming?"

Meg gracefully jumped off her bed and grinned. "And miss the crazy masked man? Of course I'm coming."

Erik was not ready for the students to be back from summer break. He enjoyed his time on campus most when it was nearly vacant except for the few students and professors who had summer classes. He enjoyed having use of the practice rooms and being able to freely sing and compose with his mask off. He knew he was perfectly capable of doing this at his home, but there was just something about being near the theatre that seemed to power him from within. The last few notes that he had scribbled for the opera that he was working on still lingered in his brain, swelling and bursting at their crescendo as he wrote his name on the blackboard in the front of the class room. He sighed deeply and slowly turned to face the classroom, preparing himself for the looks of shock or fear that he received at the beginning of every semester.

"Good day, class." His soft voice always managed to echo throughout the entire room even when he hardly talked above a whisper. He was highly skilled in throwing his voice around, a trick that comes in handy when you are acting on stage. "You are in Acting 101. If you are not supposed to be in this classroom and have joined us by mistake, I suggest you leave now." His accusing eyes bore into each and every student as he talked. "Okay then. I am going to call roll now and see who my victims this semester are." He knew what students said about him when he wasn't around. They would whisper as he walked by, but he always managed to hear every word. He figured that he should just play up this image he had been given by the students and scare them into submission because truthfully, he knew his anger and violent abilities far exceeded any rumors the students ever started.

He sat on the edge of his desk and Meg and Christine both stared at him as he began down the alphabet. Christine kept sneaking glances at his face. "What do you really think is under there?" She whispered to Meg.

"I don't know, but god, I'd bet on all kinds of muscles. He looks built," Meg replied biting her lip.

Christine looked puzzled for a moment and said, "What? No, I meant his-"

"Ms. Daae?" Erik asked, interrupting her whispers.

She looked up and turned red. "That's me, Professor," she said and raised her hand.

"Well then, if you would kindly stop your chatting with Ms. Giry here we can get on with roll." That is what he wanted to say in his stern voice, but the words got caught in his throat when he looked into her deep green eyes. She looked ashamed of herself and there seemed to be something else there. Sorrow. A deep sorrow that would be nearly impossible to spot to the normal human, but Erik was a bit more in tune to that certain emotion. Instead all he could muster was, "Hello." He then cleared his voice and finally broke eye contact with her and looked back down at the paper in his hand. "Meg Giry, how is your mother doing?"

"Just fine, sir. I will tell her you asked," Meg replied still looking back and forth at Christine and their professor to try and figure out what just happened.

"No need, I am sure I will see her soon enough," he then went on with roll as if nothing out of the ordinary just occurred. "Julie Sorelli?" Erik had recovered fully, at least on the outside and tried to look intimidating, hoping to god that the students did not see his moment of weakness.

"Sorelli?" Christine wrote on the top of her notebook and pushed it towards Meg. "Isn't she the top dancer here at school?"

Meg's pretty face had scrunched into a look of pure dislike and frowned at Julie. "Yeah…that's her. She is such a little skank and not even that good. I hate her."

Christine rolled her eyes when she read the note back. Meg never liked anyone that was competition for her. Even though she typically had a very laid back nature, she was incredibly set on becoming a famous dancer like her mother used to be.

The redheaded girl smiled at Erik and said, "Present. I cannot wait to learn from a master such as yourself, Professor." Her voice was just a bit too sugary for Christine's liking.

"Oh my god. I seriously think I will murder her if we have to deal with her all semester long. This sucks." Meg furiously scribbled on her paper.

Erik looked at the girl sitting in front of him and snorted. "Yes, well. We shall see if a master such as me is even good enough to help your acting skills." He turned his back to her and noticed young Meg Girl grinning ear to ear but that Christine had a disapproving look on her face. He suddenly had the urge to say he was only joking and apologize, even though he knew that Julie Sorelli was almost as talentless as the school's diva Charlotte. He did not understand why the directors loved these girls as much as they do. The two girls sucked up to everyone and to Erik it always came across as desperate. Their supposed charm never worked on him.

Erik finished roll and began to lecture about different kinds of acting to the group of students, but the whole time all he could think about was Christine's disapproving look after he berated Julie. He had this yearning to just make Christine understand and to not think him as a monster. He had to win her over.

(Thanks for reading! Please review!)


	3. Chapter 3

Author Note I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update but my senior seminar class has been getting busy. We just presented at the seminar conference on Monday, so I got to read part of my story out loud. It was so much fun! Thank you for all the reviews, I love hearing from you all.

Chapter 3

It was late one evening when Erik first heard her voice floating through the fine arts building. He had locked himself in his office to catch up on grading his students' papers, but he kept getting distracted by working on his opera. He finally decided to take a walk through the building to try to clear his mind hoping that would allow him to focus on his task. He just entered the hallway containing the music practice rooms when a soft, angelic voice reached his ears. It was unlike any other voice he had ever heard while a professor at this school and it seemed to take him back to his childhood when his mother used to sing around the house. Erik's hand slowly trailed the side of his mask as he thought of his mother. All he had ever wanted was her approval, her love. All she wanted was a normal son and that was the one thing he could not achieve. It did not matter how talented he was in singing or piano, how many sketches or drawings he created for her or how intelligent he became. All she ever saw when she looked at him was his disfigured face; he had been born with a port wine stain covering most of his face, neck and down his chest.

When he was born she was appalled with how he looked, but the doctor assured her that these birthmarks were fairly common and typically treatable, although his did seem to cover more surface area than most. They tried different treatments on him multiple times as a young child, but each time the markings seemed to become darker in color and more inflamed. By the time he was ten his skin was a deep purple with rough bumps all over and the doctors deemed him impossible to cure. His face was now one that not even a mother could love. His mother soon became so depressed over having a son that looked like a devil child to her that she soon went down a dark path that finally lead to her suicide.

Erik's mouth fell open as these feelings of despair washed over him as he listened to the singing. He had tried to block out his horrific childhood as much as possible, but this voice brought back all his feelings of loneliness with a full force. "Whose voice is that?" He barely muttered out loud. He began walking closer to the practice room as if his body was no longer controlling itself. He finally reached the door and peered through the glass panel and saw Christine Daae singing along to the music she was listening to through her headphones. Tears began to fall gently down her pale face as she continued to sing, and Erik could feel his heart swell at the sight of her pure beauty.

He continued to stand there listening and with each note she sang he could feel himself falling in love with her; a feeling he had never fully felt to this extreme. He wanted to walk in there and wipe all the tears from her face and make sure that nothing could ever make her cry again. He wanted to embrace her small body in his arms so she felt safe. But most of all, he wanted to have her sing for just him. As her song came to end, she looked up and finally noticed him standing there and let out a little shriek, covering her mouth with her hands. She then opened the door and looked at him with a mix of confusion and shock. "Dr. Destler?"

Erik felt his face turn quite hot, and suddenly his legs did not know if they should keep standing there or start running. "I…I'm sorry, Ms. Daae. I didn't mean to scare you like that…" He wanted to hit himself for not walking away before she noticed him.

"No, I'm sorry. Was I too loud? Was I bothering you? I didn't think anyone could hear me in here, otherwise I would have never started singing. I don't really like people listening to me sing." She turned a deep shade of red, something that Christine noticed her professor was capable of causing many times. Her voice was soft and still held a hint of the tears that she had just been crying. She quickly wiped her eyes and looked even more embarrassed. "Oh, don't look at me, please, I cannot believe you heard me sing and saw me cry…" She looked so sad that Erik actually felt his arms reach towards her.

He stopped mid-motion and instead ran his hand through his dark brown hair. "For what it's worth, I think your voice is beautiful. Why is this the first time I've heard you sing? With a voice with that, surely you could give Charlotte a run for her money for the lead of the musical and Lord knows we could use someone different singing since, truth be told, her voice is highly overrated. I just have no one else to cast for those parts. But you…" Erik's nearly black eyes almost seemed to glimmer. "Your voice is just so pure. How long have you been taking voice lessons?"

"I…are you kidding? Uh, I have never had real lessons, actually. My dad would have me sing along to his violin or piano playing, so I just grew up with music. But, I never really perform like I used to. Not since he died…" Her green eyes began to fill up with tears again. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to cry like this, I just…miss him so much and music just always makes the pain so much worse…" With that she tried to brush past him, so she could just get out of this whole situation but he grabbed her arm when she neared the door.

"Please. Please don't leave. You cannot truly believe that music causes pain in this world. Music is one of the only pure beauties that this world has to offer. You must embrace it and let it heal your wounds. You…you must let me help you."

She frowned and shook her head so that her long hair fell lose from her low ponytail she had haphazardly pulled her hair into while practicing. "I…I don't understand."

Christine was suddenly aware of how close she was to her professor, and that he was still holding onto her arm. Her arm seemed to tingle where his fingers were, and she took a small step closer to him so that their bodies were nearly touching. He looked so intently at her and said, "Let me help you feel the warm delight of music again. If I train you then you will far exceed any singer at the university. You will become a star." His deep voice was merely a whisper but it echoed in her ears and set her whole body on fire. Her brain was trying so hard to put any form of a sentence together but she could hardly figure out how to breathe, let alone talk, with the way he was looking at her. All she could manage was a slight nod of agreement. "Yes? Good. Meet me in my office tomorrow night at 11:00 and we will begin." He leaned his mouth to her ear and said, "But do not tell anyone about this." Her eyes fluttered shut as his breath tickled her neck. "This is our little secret." Again she nodded her head and Erik's lips turned upright in what was almost a smile. "Good. Until tomorrow, my Angel of Music." He then finally let go of her arm and left the room into the darkness of the hallway.

Christine stood there for a moment longer and finally caught her breath. She gently touched her arm where Erik had held onto and smiled for the first time all day.

Thanks for reading! Please review! Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

Author note Thank you to my six reviewers and to all the people who have been adding me to their favorite author and story lists and what not. It makes me really happy to see that people are interested in this story! I presented my story and it went over really well. Graduation from college is in 3 days so things are kind of crazy right now. Hope you all enjoy this!

Everyday Christine woke up with a new sense of excitement that hadn't been present in her life for several years now. It was like she had become addicted to music now that Erik was giving her private lessons. All she thought about was her masked tutor and the songs that he was teaching her during their late night meetings in his office. The first time she stepped foot in his office she was shocked. The rumors she had heard, mostly from Meg, made it sound like his office was a dingy, underground cellar. While it was located in the basement of the theatre, it was anything but dingy. In fact, it was rather elegantly decorated. When you first walked in there was a lounge area with a solid cedar desk that must have been Nadir's area. It had framed photos and paintings on the wall of distant lands. Erik's part of the office was breath-taking. He had a Parisian rug on the floor and a large mahogany colored desk with an executive looking chair behind it. There were shelves after shelves of books and trinkets that appeared to have come from all over the world. In the corner of the large office was an upright piano, covered in music that Erik was writing.

"You have a piano in here?" Christine breathed, amazed at the sight of the room.

Erik let out a low chuckle. "Of course I have a piano in here. The ones in my house are much nicer, of course, but this one does the trick when I am here. You never know when inspiration will strike and you have to compose a song."

"May I hear that one?" Christine pointed at the sheet music that was currently sitting on the piano's music stand and began to pick a page up.

"No!" Erik snatched the page out of her hand and gathered up the others into a stack. "No," he said in a gentler voice. "This is not ready, plus I fear it might bring emotions forth in you that you are just not ready to handle." He quickly picked up other music and placed it at the piano and sat down. "This, however, is more suitable for your innocent ears. This is what we will work on tonight. Come over here, my darling." Erik had taken up to calling Christine little pet names whenever they were alone together. He tried to keep their relationship as professional as possible when in the classroom, but he could not help but let his feelings for her flow when they were alone.

Christine stood in front of him and semi-frowned. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and studied Erik. She did not understand why he was so nice to her all the time when he seemed to hate pretty much everyone else, well at the whole school, besides Nadir, of course. He spent so much time with her outside of class to help her with her music, and she knew he did not offer his services to just anyone. The one thing that really confused her above all else is why he seemed to think of her as this gentle baby bird that he has to shield from the rest of the world.

"Dr. Destler…" Christine began timidly.

"Erik," he corrected. "Please, Christine, call me Erik." His voice was as smooth as icing as his fingers slide on the keys, waiting for her to be ready to sing.

"Erik," she began again. "I am not a child, you know." She took a step closer to him and set her hand on his shoulder. She could feel his muscle tense under her touch. "You do not have to treat me like I'm some innocent, naïve little girl."

He covered the hand she had on his shoulder with his cold one and for a moment Christine felt like an electric shock went through her body that nearly caused her to gasp out loud. He picked her hand up and held it for a second and looked her deeply in the eyes. He then dropped her hand at her side and placed his hands back on the piano. "My dear, you act as if having your innocence is a bad thing. Believe me, it isn't and if I can prevent you from losing more of your innocence than you need to, then I will do whatever it takes." He turned his focus back on the music in front of him and said, "Now, sing for me."

She sighed and gave in. Christine was beginning to understand what Meg was talking about on that first day of the semester. There was something powerful, almost sensual about Erik that just drew you to him. He was simply hypnotizing, especially when he played piano and sang. When he opened his mouth and those first few notes came out, Christine has to fight the urge to cry, the sound was just so beautiful. Now, all she wanted to do was make him proud. He was so confident in her voice and she just wanted to be able to live up to his expectations. She was willing to put all her energy into her music, so much so that she did not always get the rest of her homework done for classes. While she was slightly worried about keeping up, she just could not stop practicing for Erik.

After practice one day, Erik could tell that she was distracted by something. "My dear, where is your mind today? Your heart did not seem to be in the song while we practiced."

She looked at him, not surprised that he had noticed. "Oh, well, I have a test two days from now in my British Renaissance Literature class, and I am not prepared for it at all because…well, because I've spent all my time learning my music." She lowered her eyes as if she was ashamed of herself for not being able to keep up with all her work.

Erik stood up from the piano and put his arm around her. "Please do not fret, Christine. I am not just a musical genius, you know. I'm well versed in many subjects. If you would like, I could help you study for the test. I know plenty about Shakespeare, Milton, and others. I have stolen all your time, so let me help you with this."

She felt like she might explode with his arm around her like that. She had to fight the urge to just snuggle into his chest as he spoke to her. She smiled up at him and said, "Yes, thank you, Erik. I could really use the help."

"Wonderful. We can study the material at my house, so we can be more comfortable and get more done." Erik said removing his arm from her and gathering up his belongings. He put his navy sports jacket on and looked at Christine expectedly. "You are okay with that, aren't you Christine?"

She thought for a moment. What would Meg think if she knew she was not only spending extra time with their professor on campus but was now also going to his home. That just seemed so intimate. But oddly enough she felt comfortable with him. She wanted to spend time with him, it reminded her of the time she used to spend with her father learning about music and perfecting the art. She was not willing to lose that again. She smiled and picked up her back pack off the floor. "Yes, I am perfectly okay with that. Thank you, Erik."

Christine was in her dorm room humming along to the music Meg was listening to while they both did homework. It was the first time in what Meg felt was weeks that Christine was actually spending time in their room and not off in the practice rooms or library, which is where Christine always claimed she was spending her time.

Meg looked up from the play she was reading for their acting class and watched Christine hum for a moment. "Please tell me you are going to try out for the musical with all the singing practice you have been doing lately. I miss you, Chris, and I think it would be fun to have rehearsals with you." There was no doubt in Meg's mind that she would make it into the show as one of the lead dancers. She did not care what people said about Julie, Meg knew she was better than she was.

Christine stopped humming and said, "Well, Eri- I mean, Dr. Destler is really pushing me to try out, so I suppose I will. I just don't think I can compete with Charlotte. But I guess if I just get a chorus roll that is better than nothing, right?"

"Wait, what? When are you having these chats with Erik?" Meg put an extra emphasis on his name to show that she had caught on to Christine almost referring to their professor by his first name, something Dr. Destler was not known for letting students do.

Christine looked away from Meg quickly. She knew that Meg was going to piece things together about her and Erik soon and she feared that her best friend would be angrier about her keeping this from her than from spending so much time with a professor.

"Christine Marie Daae, I know that look. You are keeping something from me, and by the way you look so embarrassed I would say this is big. Spill it. Now!" Meg started on Christine and closed the book in her hand.

"It really isn't that big of a deal," Christine said softly. "I should have told you before, but he told me not to tell anyone. That it was…our secret."

"Oh this sounds like a big fucking deal. Details. Now. Do not leave out a single thing." Meg jumped off her bed and jumped into Christine's bed and wrapped her arms around her legs.

"You cannot tell anyone, Meg. This needs to stay quiet. I don't know why Erik cares so much about keeping this a secret because we have not doing anything bad, but I don't really want to make him mad." Christine pleaded with Meg as she awkwardly played with the blanket sitting on the bed.

"Yeah, yeah I promise. You know I would never do anything to hurt you. Now come on, tell me."

"Well…he has been giving me private voice lessons," Christine began slowly. She watched Meg's reaction to her words as she continued. "He says I have the voice of an angel and he wanted to show me that music can heal me." She stopped for a moment and shyly smiled. "I know it probably sounds really dorky, but he ran into me singing one night in a practice room and since then we have been training my voice. I never thought I could feel this way again, Meg. For the first time in a long time, I actually feel alive. A part of me died when Dad died, and I know now that it was the music in me. Erik has brought it back and I love it!"

Meg's mouth was hanging open as Christine finished. "So…you have just been spending all these hours with him…singing? Nothing else?" Christine wasn't sure but Meg almost sounded disappointed.

"Well, he felt bad for always stealing my time from homework so now he helps me study for classes too," Christine smiled a bit broader now and went on. "Sometimes he will put his arm around me or let his hand linger on my shoulder…or call me 'my dear' or 'darling'"

Meg let out a snort and started giggling. "Are you bullshitting me? Our masked acting professor calls you darling? The same man who will go out of his way in class to make Julie nearly cry? The same man who walks around practically screaming I hate the world! That Erik Destler?"

"Well, God, when you put it that way…" Christine acted like she was trying to be upset with Meg, but she burst into another grin. "I know, isn't so weird? But, oh my god, Meg. You think his voice is hypnotizing? You should hear him play piano or sing…it is enough to just make you melt."

"Have you guys done it yet?" Meg suddenly asked bluntly.

"Meg!" Christine shrieked and hit her. "No! We have never kissed or anything. He is still my professor, you know."

Note Please review! Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5

(Author's note: I am so sorry this took so long to update. Graduation occurred and I have been pretty busy since summer started. I am actually on vacation currently and had some free time, so I sat down to work on this. I have another chapter already written after this chapter from my senior seminar project, but I think I am going to break away from the original story line after this, so past this chapter everything will be brand new writing just for this version. Thank you to my reviewers!)

Christine and Meg walked into the theatre the day of the auditions for the school's production of ThreePenny Opera, and while Meg seemed prepared and focused, Christine felt as if she was going to throw up at any moment.

"I just want Erik to tell me everything is going to be okay," Christine whispered to Meg as they were sitting waiting for their turn to audition. She looked around the theatre and saw many faces, but none gave her the comfort she was looking for.

"You are going to do great. Don't sweat it, seriously." Meg reached down to touch her toes to stretch out her back. "Do you really think Erik would cast someone other than you?"

Christine hadn't thought of that. She forgot that Erik had the final say in who sang what part in the musicals, but the director always showed favoritism for Charlotte every year, so surely he would fight for her again this year. "Is that why you aren't nervous? Because your mom helps pick the dancers?"

Meg smiled while fixing her tight bun. "I don't need my mom's connections. I am good enough on my own." She laughed at herself. "It is all in your attitude, girl. Think positive and it will be just fine."

Christine thought about what Meg said for a moment and nodded. "You are right. What am I worrying about?"

At that moment a booming voice called out, "Christine Daae?"

"Break a leg, Chris!" Meg shrieked slapping Christine on the butt. "You will rock this bitch."

Christine grinned at her best friend and walked onto the stage to face the director, Dr. Mercier and his assistant Mr. Gabriel. They sat at a table in front of the stage with stacks of acting resumes and headshots of each of the students auditioning and a notepad to write notes on. Erik sat on the other side of Dr. Mercier and he sat up straighter when she looked at them.

"Good evening, Christine. You will be singing for us tonight, is that correct?" Dr. Mercier peered over his glasses at her as he picked up his pen.

She cleared her throat and said firmly, "Yes, sir, I will be singing 'Pirate Jenny' from the show." She smiled, feeling more at ease when she looked at Erik again and saw him wink at her for encouragement.

"Very good, please begin," the director said looking at her expectantly.

It had been over three years since Christine had sang in front of more than just one or two people, but she tried to not think of that as she began the song. Instead, she just focused her attention on Erik and pretended they were back in his office and he was the one playing the piano for her. She sang her song only for him. When the last note left her mouth she smiled at the men in front of her and simply said, "Thank you."

Dr. Mercier and Mr. Gabriel both just stared at her with their eyes wide. Finally Mercier began to grin and said, "Very well done, Christine. I see that there is new competition in the theatre department. This should be interesting, to say the least. We will post the cast in the next two days."

Erik nodded at her approvingly, and Christine's heart swelled with happiness. All she wanted was to make him proud, and she knew that she had just accomplished that goal, even if she didn't get a lead. The other men looked back down at their paperwork in front of them, silently dismissing her from the stage. Christine hurried off and ran over to where Meg sat waiting.

"Holy cow, Chris! That was beyond amazing! I have not heard you sing like that, well, ever. Where the hell have you been hiding that voice?" Meg was practically bouncing in her seat as she gushed at her friend.

Christine smiled again and blushed, "Thanks, Meg. Erik has really helped me."

Their conversation was cut short by another female voice singing the same song that Christine had just finished singing. Both of the girls looked over at the stage and saw the school's diva, Charlotte singing very expressively. When she finished Dr. Mercier practically started to applaud her. "Near perfection, as always, Charlotte!" The director said in awe. He removed his glasses from his face and smiled at her.

Erik, however, frowned and looked at Dr. Mercier and said acidly, "Sir, if you think that was near perfection you do not deserve to be directing at this school."

"Erik, not now," Dr. Mercier said, anger clearly building in his voice.

Charlotte stood there with her mouth open like a fish after Erik spoke. Her face twisted in disdain and she looked like she was about to say something back to Erik. He shot her a look that made her close her mouth quickly. Finally she just huffed and walked off the stage.

"Erik, you cannot talk to the students like that!" hissed Dr. Mercier slamming his fist on the desk. "That is unacceptable, especially to our star soprano!"

Erik stood up quickly almost knocking over his chair. "Our star soprano is as talentless as cats in heat shrieking for their mates, so excuse me for not wanting her to be the lead in the show yet again. I would like our audience to not have their ears bleed." He started to turn around to leave when he stopped and hissed, "And need I remind you, gentlemen, that I have final say in who sings what role, so it doesn't really matter if you think she is as wonderful as you claim." With that he stormed off and brushed past where Christine and Meg were without even acknowledging them.

The next day Christine sat in the lobby of the fine arts building waiting for class time. As she waited she read a book for one of her English courses, trying to keep up with the week's reading assignment. Suddenly she realized there was a shadow over her.

"Hi there…uh, you are Christine, right?" Christine looked up and saw a blonde guy standing there smiling kindly. He was wearing designer jeans and a button down shirt and he looked a little out of place among the hipster looking students.

She put down her books and smiled back at him, "Yeah, that's me. Um…who are you?" He looked oddly familiar, like someone she had met and forgot about.

He chuckled softly and said, "Right, sorry about that. I am Ray. Ray Changy." He shoved his hands in his jean pockets nonchalantly.

Her eyes went wide at his name. "Changy? As in, the Changy family that just donated like…a ton of money to the theatre department?" Erik had been telling her just the day before about the rich Changys and how they had been long time supporters of the arts at the university. This donation, however, far exceeded any other that they had made in the past.

At this he actually turned a little red but still smiled. "Yeah, the one and the same. I wanted to tell you that I heard you audition the other day and I definitely thought you were much better than Charlotte. In fact, you remind me of a girl I heard a long time ago at a fair. Her voice was just so pure and she sang along as her father…"

"Fiddled?" Christine asked cutting him off mid-sentence. She paled at the thought of him having heard her sing with her father before.

"Yeah, actually. How did you know?" He asked, readjusting his backpack.

"That girl was me." She studied his face for a moment and then suddenly it clicked. "Oh my god. Ray? I remember you! You spent your summer with your aunt and uncle, right?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed. "In Savannah, Georgia! I cannot believe that was you. Wow, this really is a small world." He was grinning from ear to ear now thinking back on those days. Christine and her father spent that summer touring around the South performing at all the festivals. They had stayed in Savannah for almost a month, so Christine and Ray were able to spend all their free time together, having picnics together, going on walks and simply exploring the town. "Oh, Christine, I never thought I'd see you again!" With that he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a long embrace. "Can you believe that we are both here, together again?"

Christine's face pressed rather uncomfortably against the rough fabric on the straps of his backpack, though at the moment she didn't really care. She was in so much shock that the boy whom she had loved as a child was suddenly back in her life. She pulled away and put her hands on his face while giggling. "Ray, this is just crazy!" She hugged him again quickly.

They continued to talk when suddenly Ray said, "I know this is crazy, but I just feel like we have been around each other our whole lives, Christine, and not just that summer. I feel this connection with you that I have never felt with anyone else…I…" He stopped talking for a moment and grabbed her face in between his hands. "I just want to kiss you right now."

She began grinning and put her hand over his. No boy had ever been so forward with her before, and she liked it. "So, kiss me." He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against hers. They broke apart and looked intently at each other. She smiled again at him, and their lips met again, this time with more passion behind the kiss.

They stopped and hugged again. They then sat down and started to catch up with each other, holding hands the whole time. While the two of them chatted and smiled like love struck children at each other, Erik stood looming near the entrance of the threatre watching them. His blood was boiling under his skin as he saw his beloved Christine not just flirting but kissing another man, and not just any man, but one of the Changys. While he appreciated their devotion to the arts, they always just had an air to them when at University functions. An air that always rubbed Erik the wrong way. "Oh, you will pay, Changy, if you think you are going to take her away from me," Erik muttered in a dangerous voice. "You will pay."

(AN: Short, I know but I will start writing more now! Please review!)


	6. Chapter 6

(NOTE: Thank you to my reviewers!

Me: I am glad you are still loving it

Thaovyphantran: Sorry about C and R getting all romantic. Maybe this chapter will help?

CourtneyRBowman: Oh, our dear C is not sure yet who she wants, just keep reading!

Oh, in case you haven't notice, I do not own anything related to PotO…)

The cast list was finally posted and much to the surprise of everyone, Christine was casted as the lead, Polly.

"Oh my god, Chris! I told you you're the shit!" Meg shrieked when they looked at the list of cast members. "That's right, my bestie is the lead!" She jumped around doing little fist pumps.

Christine just stood there staring at the list, unable to believe what her eyes were seeing. "Meg, is that really my name? This can't be real!" Her head started to feel dizzy as what this meant sunk in. She had beat out all the other girls in the school. Not just that, but she beat Charlotte who had be the leading lady in every single production for three years.

"But Dr. Mercier!" A high pitched winey voice could be heard down the hallway. "This is just _unfair_! I nailed that audition. I need to be Polly! No, I deserve to be Polly, damnit!"

"You know that I pushed for you, and not Christine, but Dr. Destler has final say over everything music related in all shows. He wanted her and not you. There isn't anything I can do except tell you that this is a good life lesson for you. As a professional actor you will not get every role you want…" Dr. Mercier was trying to talk logic into Charlotte, and was obviously failing.

Another shriek could be heard and she said, "I am much better than that horrible girl, do not even speak her name to me!"

Even from hearing the conversation from afar, Christine and Meg could tell that Dr. Mercier was beginning to lose his patience with his diva. "If you have that big of a problem, you can find Dr. Destler in his office."

There was a brief silence and then she said, "But his office is so…creepy…"

Meg turned to Christine and said, "Don't listen to that stuck up bitch. She is just jealous that you came out of nowhere and beat her. You deserve the part, you were obviously better."

Christine frowned slightly, the excitement of getting the role died a little after over hearing the conversation. "Thanks, I guess." She looked to the list of dancers and saw Meg's name fourth on the list; not the lead dancer but still one of the top. "Oh hey, look! You got a good role, Meg!"

Meg shrugged and said, "Yeah, not exactly what I wanted but someday I'll be known as the best dancer here." She looked at the list for a minute longer and smiled again. "You know, this calls for a celebration. Let's blow this popsicle stand and get ice cream. Or a beer. You know, which ever."

Christine laughed and said, "It is like, 10:45 AM. I don't really want either of those things. Plus, we shouldn't skip Erik's class. He is the only one in this damn department who believes in me it seems." She ran her petite hand through her hair. "I promise we can celebrate tonight though, how about that?"

"You suck. But you're right. Let's go see the sexy masked man" Meg said picking her backpack off the ground.

Christine sighed. "Do you have to call him that? Really?"

Meg laughed, "How about your boyfriend then? Or your lover? Either of those better nicknames for _Erik_?" She stressed out his name and made a flirty face at her friend.

"Oh my god. Shut up! That is so not true at all. Besides…" Christine blushed and smiled. "There is kind of someone else I like anyway."

Meg opened her mouth to beg for details when suddenly a deep voice appeared behind the girls that said, "Christine, I need to talk to you. Alone. Meg, we will see you in class in a bit."

They turned around and saw Erik standing there in black slacks, a gray button down shirt with a black vest. Christine couldn't help but be attracted to him, there was just something powerful about his presence. She simply nodded and waved goodbye to Meg.

Erik walked silently down the hall, his steps in a quick determined fashion. Christine felt like she was half running to try to keep up with his long strides. She began to feel sick to her stomach as she wondered what he could possibly need to talk to her about that required immediate attention. Nadir stood to greet them as they entered the room but Erik simply held up his hand to silence the man. Christine smiled apologetically to Nadir, but she assumed he was used to Erik's odd behavior. Erik slammed the door shut behind them and turned to look at her. His eyes looked like they were on fire, and what she could see of his face was a mix between anger and betrayal.

"I used my power to get you this role, Christine. I pissed off a lot of people to ensure your happiness and to prove to everyone that you are the single most talented singer I have ever heard. I have spent hours upon hours not only helping your voice become the instrument it can be but also to show you that music is one of the only good things in the world." He began pacing back and forth in front of her as he spoke. "I thought…I had hoped that you were another one of those good things, but now I see that I was wrong. All I wanted was for you to share your voice with me, with the world."

Christine felt her mouth open in protest, unsure of where his accusation was coming from. "I don't really understand what you're talking about, Erik…" Christine started timidly. "Did I do something wrong? I did my best at the audition if that is what this is about." Her eyes were beginning to prickle with tears at the thought she had disappointed him. She looked at the far wall of his office, which was covered in an old-looking framed map. She couldn't bear to look at Erik right now, not when she had made him so upset. She didn't understand why she cared so much what he thought in the first place. He was just her professor, after all. Immediately after thinking that, she knew she was lying to herself. He was not just her professor. She didn't have the kind of relationship that she had with Erik with any other professor at the University. He was so much more than that; he was her tutor but also a companion. She hadn't felt as close with anyone as she was with Erik since her father died. Even still she didn't just see him as a father replacement because there was that whole issue of being so terribly attracted to him. So what did that leave him as?

She wiped her eyes angrily and looked up at Erik who was just staring at her. "No, you silly girl this has nothing to do with your audition. That you did , in a word, superbly."

Christine started to feel better, but then remembered that Erik was still upset with her. "Then what did I do? This is just killing me, Erik. I hate seeing you this way." She took a step closer to him, hoping he understood how much he really meant to her.

"This is killing _you_?" He practically spat at her. "How do you think I feel then? I go to try to see you yesterday before your class and I see you with that pompous Changy boy. Seeing you talk to him was horrible enough because he seemed to make you so damn happy, but then you hugged him and kissed him! You _kissed_ him, Christine!" Erik gripped the side of his desk as if his life depended on it. It was almost as if he was willing himself to not strike Christine.

Christine's face went pale and her stomach dropped. She was embarrassed that any professor would see her showing such public displays of affection, but it made her feel sick that Erik had caught her kissing Ray. Even still, she didn't understand why this could possibly upset Erik as much as it was. "I'm sorry…" She took a deep breath and then looked him square in the eyes. "But why does this bother you so much? Why does it matter who I kiss or don't kiss? I am a free woman, thank you very mu…"

Erik suddenly had his arm encircled around Christine's back while his other hand gently touched her face and trailed down her neck. "Are you telling me, my Angel, that you feel nothing between us?" He leaned forward and whispered hotly in her ear, "You don't feel the power surging between us, even when we are just near each other like _this_." He pulled her even closer to him so her hips were pressed against his. "And especially when we sing together…oh, when we sing together, Christine, I just want to reach out and touch you. Are you saying you don't feel that same attraction towards me?"

Christine felt a shiver run down her spine and goose bumps appeared where Erik's fingers touched. She didn't even have to say anything; Erik could see her body reacting to his touch. She felt limp like a rag doll, unable to really move, and not wanting the moment to end. She simply just shook her head no.

"No, what Christine?" Erik asked, still holding tight to her.

Her head rolled back as his fingers went back up her neck. She tried to keep her mind clear but this pleasant fog was filling her head, and she couldn't focus on anything but her skin tingling and burning at the same time. "I…no…I definitely…attracted…you," she stammered out.

Erik chuckled, once again brushing his lips against her ear as he said, "I hope you speak more coherently in your English classes, my dear. Otherwise I really will have to start helping you with your homework…" He moved his face so his lips lingered right above hers. His deep, intense eyes stared into her eyes. They were still fiery, but this time with passion and not anger. "Speaking of which," he began and Christine prepared herself for what he was about to do at last, what she had been longing for without even fully realizing how much she wanted it. Her eyes began to flutter shut when he finished saying in a low voice, "It's time for class, time to go."

Christine's eyes immediately flew open as Erik pulled away from her, not even fazed by what all just occurred. In fact, there seemed to be a smirk on his face as he turned around to exit his office and head to the classroom. Christine was suddenly alone in his office, still trying to catch her breath. She had no idea what just happened, but one thing was clear: she had fallen hard for her professor.

(Note: To all my Erik lovers out there…better? Please review. Much love!)


	7. Chapter 7

(A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing! I love getting the reviews, so I know what people are thinking.

Thaovyphantran- I am glad you liked it I hope this chapter is good as well.

Shopaholic889- Thank you, thank you! I hope you keep enjoying it.

Debkay- I am glad you like it so far and it makes me happy that you are finding the plot original so far. Thank you! (And I always want E and C to be together too ;) )

Chapter 7:

Christine was unsure of what to do as she stood alone in Erik's office. She glanced at the ornate clock hanging across from his desk and saw that she had about four minutes to get to class. Honestly, she was tempted to skip because she couldn't fathom sitting through the winter class pretending the conversation between them never occurred. Christine frowned and picked up her bag and exited the office.

Nadir looked up and seemed to almost be searching her face for something. He looked concerned even. "Miss Daae, is everything alright? When Erik left and you didn't I was worried…" Nadir suddenly was looking at Christine but more so through her, as if remembering something from the past. His dark eyes flashed as he brought himself back to the present. "But no real harm done, I see?" He left it more as a question, hinting that he didn't actually trust Erik to behave himself. Which, of course, he had good reason to be wary of Erik and his close interactions with others. Especially beautiful women like Christine.

Christine forced a smile, certain that it wouldn't fool anybody. _Maybe I really do need to go to Erik's class_, she thought to herself. _My acting sucks_. "Oh," she started uncomfortably. "I think I angered him, but he seemed perfectly happy by the end." Christine, however, was not happy. She was more confused than ever and didn't know what to do. She shrugged and said drily, "He just seems used to always getting what he wants."

"That," Nadir said, "is an understatement. There is no getting between Erik and whatever he sets his eyes on." Nadir studied her again, wanting to ask what exactly Erik had said or done to her. She just looked exhausted and unsure of herself, which is not how he thought someone ought to look after discovering they are the lead in a show. Nadir had a suspicion that Erik had been developing feelings towards Christine, but he never had a reason to question his friend about it. Now, seeing Christine's face, he knew it was about time to have a talk with Erik. Finally he sighed and said, "You are officially late for class."

She gasped and nervously tugged on her hair. "Will he get mad at me for being late?" she paused and then frowned, her eyes narrowing. "It is his fault for me being late in the first place."

Nadir laughed. "No, he won't actually get mad, but I'd bet that he will pretend to be so the rest of the class doesn't thing anything is up." He raised an eyebrow at her and said, "But there isn't actually 'anything up' is there, Miss Daae?"

Christine turned red and muttered, "No." She then turned around and sprinted through the building to get to the classroom.

She reached the room in record time and glanced at her watch. Six minutes late. She took a deep breath and walked into the room as Erik was midsentence.

"Ah, Christine," Erik sneered as she slide into her seat next to a confused looking Meg. "I'm sure we're all glad that you finally graced us with your presence." His voice was acidic, the way he would speak towards Julie.

A loud snort came from the left side of the room where Charlotte was sitting to indicate that, in fact, not everyone was happy she showed up to class. Erik ignored the sound, although he was biting his tongue to make some snide comment at Charlotte. Christine just stared at him, anger flaring up in her face. How could he go from trying to seduce her one moment to just plain hateful the next? She had always been able to avoid the harsh tongue that he lashed at nearly everyone else.

Christine was incredibly grateful that Nadir warned her that he might act this way to counteract the sexual tension between them. Otherwise she probably would have burst into tears right then and there. That would have shown him; he can't stand even the idea of Christine being hurt, she had learned that fact quickly. She didn't bother to respond to his comment, instead she unzipped her bag and pulled out a notebook.

A note quickly appeared on Christine's desk in Meg's writing. "WTF is going on?" Christine knew what Meg meant, but she decided to play dumb. "He is about to break us up into scenes to act out." This was true, Erik was handing out a handful of different scenes for people to act out. "No shit. I meant with you two." Christine looked at Meg and rolled her eyes. "He's being a douche bag. I'll explain later." Erik handed the last of the scenes to Christine and Meg, and for a brief moment she was worried Erik saw what she wrote. She then decided that she hoped he did read what she wrote because it was true. They kept running lines and trying different methods in their acting until class was over.

"Alright class, I heard some fairly decent acting from some of you today. Others, not so much." His eyes looked at Charlotte at this. "You may all go but Christine I need to see your for a moment, if you will."

She signed, still in no mood to deal with him. Meg mouthed "Good luck" and walked out of the room. Christine walked up to him, crossed her arms and said, "What?" still glaring at him.

His eyes were watching for the door to close as the last student exited the room. As soon as the click from the door could be heard, Erik's head focused on Christine and he pulled her close to him. "So, I'm a douche bag, huh? You know that I wasn't really mad, right my sweet?" He sang into her ear.

She immediately was under his control again and nodded yes. Suddenly, she jerked away from him realizing what was happening and said, "Just because I know you are pretending doesn't make it okay, Erik!" She tried to put space between them because she knew being so close to him would make her not think clearly and right now she wanted to be pissed at him. "You treated me like one of those girls you hate so much!" Her eyes widened as something clicked. "Or is _that_ you pretending too, hmm? I see how it is now, you don't actually hate them, do you? You just want us all to think you do so you can go around…" she struggled to find the right words and finally just spat out, "go around doing, whatever it is you do with them when you are alone!" Her voice was getting higher in pitch, a sure sign she was upset. Her hands were balled up at her sides as she accused Erik. "So what, do you 'tutor' them too? Do you say things like 'Don't you feel the power between us?'" she said in a fake deep voice, clearly trying to mimic Erik. She made a face of disgust and said, "Well that's _bull shit_ Dr. Destler, and I'll have none of it!" She was about to spin around and march straight out of the room when she noticed that even with the mask on his face she could still tell her was trying to hold back laughter. He was laughing at her! This only made her blood boil more and she practically screamed, "What?" This made Erik lose control, and he actually started to laugh. Her eyes narrowed and she muttered, "Screw you." She felt like she was about to start sobbing soon so she had to get out of the room. As she tried to leave she felt Erik grab her forearm.

"Wait, no!" He said trying to calm down. He took a deep breath and composed himself. "Christine, my darling, I am sorry but that was truly absurd." When he saw the tears welling up in her eyes his face softened and he pulled her close to him once again. "My dear, you are not one of many girls. I really do detest Julie and Charlotte. Sure, they are beautiful women, but they are nowhere near as beautiful as you." She stilled looked like she did not believe him so he continued, "If I weren't good at acting, how could I possibly teach it well, right?"

"I guess…" She looked at the floor and a tear fell down her cheek. "But how do I know you are not acting with me?"

Erik tried to wipe her tears, but she moved her face away from his touch, an action that actually stabbed him in the chest. "Well, first off, you can ask Nadir how many people in this world I give a damn about. Believe me, it is a very short list. Secondly," he leaned his face towards her, similarly to how he did in his office just an hour or so ago. This time was different. His actions were not just lust driven, but instead were tender. Christine felt the breath catch in her throat as Erik closed the space between them and very lightly kissed her lips. Christine felt frozen for a moment but then threw her arms around his neck to get even closer to him. Erik quickly broke away and shook his head. "No, not here my sweet. We are still in a classroom, after all. He paused as if struggling with something, and then said, "Come with me, I need to show you something."

At that moment, after that kiss, Christine would have followed him into the depths of Hell if it meant feeling those lips against hers again. She followed him down the hallway and to the entrance of the building. They walked to the parking lot and stopped in front of Erik's car, a black Mercedes-Benz. He unlocked the car, which seemed to snap Christine out of the spell she was under.

"Um, where are we going?" Christine asked timidly, looking around the parking lot in case anyone were to see her get inside her professors car. The lot was empty.

"To my house," Erik said while opening the door for her. She silently slid in, her heart rate suddenly going too fast. She couldn't decide if she was nervous, scared, or excited. She determined it was a combination of all three. Erik shut her door, got in the driver's side and sped off towards his house.

To be continued:

Please, please review. I appreciate all the views and being added to favorite and alert lists, but I want to know what people think so I can write the best story I can. Love to all! -Liz


	8. Chapter 8

Oh my goodness, my reviewers are the best! Thank you to all who read and reviewed and to those who keep adding me to their favorites and alerts. I am sorry this is taking longer. For most of July I was road tripping/camping in the West and then work got crazy and then a moved across Missouri and started a new job. I know, excuses, excuses. I apologize!

So you know, this scene gets a bit…steamy. I am warning you now so you are not shocked if you do not care to read that type of things. If you do like that type of thing..well, I hope this makes up for your long wait. (wink)

Chapter 8

Erik threw his car door shut and attempted to keep himself composed as he walked around to the passenger side to let Christine out. He had brought women to his house before, but typically they were only there to provide him with a certain level of pleasure. He never cared about those women. They just did their business and left, and that was how Erik liked it. Christine was different. He wanted to impress her, to make her want to stay there with him always.

He couldn't fully ignore the voice in the back of his mind, which sounded annoyingly like Nadir, saying that some major lines were being crossed right now. Erik kept shoving those thoughts away, telling himself that he was doing absolutely nothing wrong. She wanted to be here just as much as he wanted her here.

Erik held out his hand to help Christine out of the car. His fingers were long, thin and strong, perfect for playing piano. Christine looked at the hand in front of her and hesitated before placing her own in his. She was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable with the situation, but it was too late for that. She was here and he was the only ride she had to get back to campus. She finally placed her hand in his and began to get out of the car. Her eyes were drawn to the house before her, although Christine was unsure if house was the correct term for it. It looked almost more like a castle than just an ordinary house.

"Whoa…" she breathed as they started walking towards the stone mansion in front of them. "This is where you live? It's beautiful!"

Erik chuckled. "Yes, this is my house. I actually designed it myself and was the head contractor in the building process. If I am to live somewhere, I have to know it was built properly, so I am pretty much the only person I trust with that process." He paused for a moment and said, "Perhaps a little conceited on my part, but I did get a masters degree in architecture, so I might as well put it to good use."

Christine looked at him in surprise. "Architecture? I would have thought you had your degree in music."

"I have studied many, many subjects, my dear. Any subject that interests me, I tend to master it." His eyes bore into hers, as if hinting that his current interest was her. His look was so intense that Christine started to turn a little pink and looked down. Erik looked back towards the house and kept moving as he gestured to his face. "I never had much going for me besides my brain and knack up picking up talents easily, so I have poured most of my energy into my studies through the years."

Christine looked at his mask as he gestured to it and once again was struck with the curiosity of what was behind it. What could possibly be so horrible about his face that he wore a mask each and every day? She felt the determination to find out one way or another. She realized she was staring a bit too intensely at the mask and quickly averted her eyes, not wanting to make him angry. She focused on the house again and asked, "Well, are you going to show me inside?"

Erik actually smiled at her and started walking towards the house, gesturing for her to follow him. He opened the front door for her and once again Christine was shocked by what she saw. The wooden floors shown with a dark, elegant finish that complimented the woodwork on the grand staircase that led up to the second floor. The entry way had an incredibly high ceiling that held a glimmering chandelier. "Did you do all the decorating too?" She asked breathlessly, still taking in everything.

"Well of course. I have very particular tastes and I like to incorporate styles from all the places I have lived and worked. Follow me, there is one room that I think you will appreciate." He held out his hand for Christine to take, and she allowed him to take her through a doorway and down the hall to a set of stairs that went to the basement.

Her eyes went wide as they finished going down the stairs. The whole basement seemed to be a shrine for music. One whole wall seemed to be covered by a pipe organ while a grand piano sat on the other side of the room. There was also an assortment of woodwinds, strings, and brass instruments along with percussion.

"This room took a lot of planning. I had to make sure it had the best acoustics so the music could be properly played. This is where most of my composing occurs. I…" He paused for a moment and looked down at her. "I actually have never let anyone else come down here before. Not even Nadir."

Christine opened her mouth but no words came out. She honestly had no idea what to say. She took a few steps toward the piano and stopped when she saw the violin. She stared at it for a moment and then picked it up. "Would you play this for me?" She asked softly.

Erik nodded and walked over to her. He was well aware of Christine's father's musical career and which pieces he composed and was most well known for. He began to play one of Mr. Daae's pieces from memory. Christine closed her eyes for a moment as if overwhelmed by the sounds of the notes. She had not heard the song since her father had passed away and it brought a pang of sadness upon her. However, despite being sad, the music seemed to surge her with strength that she had not felt in a long time. She opened her eyes and studied Erik while he played. He did not only use his hands and his arms to play, but he used his whole body. It was as if the music was actually flowing through his blood, controlling him. The emotion of the notes was mirrored on the part of his face that was visible.

There was something about Erik playing the music and softly humming along in his deep voice that made Christine feel like she was on fire. The sensation started slowly inside her until the burning was uncontrollable. Suddenly she threw herself at him as he was still playing the song, grabbed his face and began to kiss him.

For once, Erik was completely knocked off guard. Not that he was complaining of course. His hands fell to his side and the violin was quickly forgotten about, falling to the ground. "My dear," He murmured against her lips. "You just made me drop a one-of-a-kind, 150 year old instrument." He wrapped his arms around her tightly though and continued to kiss her.

"I don't care…" she said feverishly, pressing herself against him even harder. She wasn't entirely sure what had come over her, but she knew she had never felt this way before. The fire inside her seemed to just be building with every kiss and every touch. All she knew was she needed more. She slid her hands into his hair and tugged on it, bringing his face even lower to hers.

Erik suddenly took control of the situation and pushed her up against the basement wall, pinning her there. He dropped his head to her neck and began to nibble on her skin. Every time his mouth touched her skin, an electric shock went through her body. Her head rolled back, exposing more skin, as her breathing got heavier. His kisses got lower till they flirted with the neckline of her shirt. His eyes shot up, looking at her quizzically. Christine could see the lust in them and knew what he was asking. She simply nodded her head and lifted up her arms. Erik nearly ripped the shirt off of her to reveal her toned stomach and shapely breasts inside a black bra.

Christine could feel Erik's approval to what he saw against her thigh. His slacks were beginning to fit awfully tight and Christine let her fingers gently run down his chest to his crotch. Even her slight touch made Erik's eyes close and he let out a moan into her hair. "Christine, you are simply killing me." He suddenly lifted her up so her legs wrapped around his waist and he pressed against her again so she could fully feel his erection, and this time not just on her thigh. Christine gasped as she felt him and quickly pressed her mouth against his again, opening her mouth to let their tongues meet.

Erik suddenly took a step away from the wall, so the only thing keeping Christine up was him holding her. Their eyes were still locked on each other as he carried her over to the piano and placed her on top of it. Luckily, he had closed the lid and put the music away after the last time he had played. Christine was still sitting on top of the piano with Erik standing in front of her, as she began to loosen his tie. She began to struggle with the knot and her face scrunched up in concentration. "Damnit!" she muttered as she got the knot stuck. Erik chuckled and undid the knot in one swift motion. Her eyes narrowed and said, "Well, that's just not fair!" she fake pouted her lips as Erik chuckled again and kissed her.

"I have had more practice at undoing my tie than you have, darling. You'll get used to you." This comment made Christine's heart flutter because obviously that meant Erik wanted her around to remove his tie another time too. She grinned at him and leaned forward to kiss him again and then began to unbutton his shirt. She got about two-thirds of the way done when she suddenly looked at him and said, "Seriously. Can't you just wear clothes that are easier to take off?"

He really laughed at this comment and said, "I will try to keep that in mind for the future. However, I am not sure people will take me as seriously at the university if I am suddenly wearing t-shirts to class."

"Fine, at least make it a polo then! Those only have like, two buttons." She said as she finished with the last button and began to tug the shirt off of him.

"A polo? I am a musician, not a golfer. I hardly can see myself wearing a polo. Besides, it is rather adorable watching you struggle to undress me." Erik said as he helped shrug the shirt off. She already knew how strong he was from the times he had held her, but her eyes still widened a bit at all the muscles that had been hiding under his shirt.

She began to trace the scars and red marks that covered his chest. She then realized the red marks went up his neck and she could only assume was under the mask as well. His hand quickly covered hers and he stiffened at the touch. "Christine, don't…" his voiced sounded pained, almost ashamed at what she was seeing. She removed his hand from hers and simply shook her head no. She continued to gently touch the marks and then began to kiss the skin. Erik let in a sharp intake of breath as her lips gently moved across his chest. Her kisses were becoming hungrier as the fire she felt before started to take over again. She kissed and nibbled at his chest, up his neck and to the side of his face that was covered by the mask. Her fingers began to play with the side of the mask and immediately his hand grabbed hers away. There was something in his eyes amid the passion that made her leave the mask alone and go back to kissing him. Suddenly her hands were blindly fumbling with Erik's pants trying to undo the belt.

"And what do you think you are doing?" Erik said, his voice heavy with longing.

"Taking your pants off. They look awfully restricting," she said looking at him with an innocent look.

A second later Erik had ripped his belt off and Christine's fingers went to the button and zipper, undoing both and trying to tug the pants down. "See," she said in between kissing him, "that looks much more comfortable." She then wrapped her legs around him again and leaned into the kiss.

"Much." He growled into her ear as he began to undo her jeans. He pulled them off her to find black lacy panties underneath. He looked at her for a moment and then suddenly she was on her back with him on top of her while still on the piano.

"Can…can this actually hold us both?" she asked shakily due to the fact Erik's hand was slipping in between her thighs. "I…don't want…to break…oh my god." Erik's thumb had connected with her clitoris, striking the perfect chord, and she was beginning to lose the ability to form proper sentences. She quickly found out that Erik's hands were not only talented at playing instruments. Her back arched as the pleasure began to overwhelm her. Her fingers dug into the skin on his back as a warm tingling sensation sent a wave over her.

"Just give into the feeling, let it take you over." Erik said as he passionately kissed her breasts.

With that Christine let out a moan and gasped to try to catch her breath. Erik smiled into her lips as he deeply kissed her.

Suddenly he shot away from her when a familiar voice shouted from upstairs, "Erik! Erik, I know you are here, where are you!"

"Damnit," he cursed as he hastily threw Christine's pants at her and tried to get his own on. "He always has the worst timing."

That's it for this chapter. Again, I am sorry for the wait everyone. Please forgive me. And review, review, review! Much love.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's note: It has been two years, guys, since I have updated this. For that I am truly sorry. If it matters at all, in those two years I earn my Masters in fine arts in creative writing which included almost weekly stories and an 80+ page thesis. If anyone out there is still reading this, I thank you.

Erik was already dressed and half-way up the stairs by the time Christine even realized what was happening and could start putting her clothes back on. Her hands were shaking as she pulled her jeans on and tried to button them. She wasn't sure if she was shaking from the intense pleasure she just felt or the abrupt stop of it all. She certainly did not was Nadir to see her in the state she currently was in.

"Yes, yes, of course I am here," Erik growled through the doorway of the basement. His friend was standing a few feet away staring at him. "I live here, why shouldn't I be here, this is my home. The question is, Nadir, why are you here? Your house is that way." Erik pointed towards the house that he had built for Nadir on the property.

Nadir stared at him without answering for a moment. He took in Erik's wrinkled shirt that seemed to be mis-buttoned, his tie was only a half windsor instead of his usual full, and his hair. His hair never looked that bad even after Erik just woke up. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?" Nadir asked a bit too innocently.

"Yes," Erik said, his voice dangerously low. "I was in the middle of doing some of my best work, and you ruined it."

"Is this how you normally look when you work on your opera? My friend, it is not a good look for you. Seriously, you should probably try to comb that hair down," Nadir said while reaching his hand out to smooth his hair down some.

Erik smacked his hand away. "Really, Nadir? You are going to groom me now? I think I can handle that on my own. Now, since you see that I am here, and I am fine, just working, you can leave now." He put his arm around his friend and tried to usher him towards the front of the house. "Was that really why you drove out here, Nadir? Just to see where I was? I have a phone, you know."

Nadir stopped walking. "You and I both know I was worried about the whereabouts of a certain soprano, not yours."

"I certainly have no idea what you are talking about," Erik said while trying to force Nadir to walk again. "Why should I care where Ms. Charlotte is?"

"Playing dumb does not work for you, Erik."

"Fine, but I don't know where Christine is either. She is probably in one of her English classes, or with Ms. Giry. Those two are glued to each other when they aren't in class. It is incredibly how high pitched females can get when talking to each other. Now, please, can I get back to work?"

"Actually, I'm hungry. And I know you, so you probably have not had food since I forced you to eat breakfast yesterday, so let's go. We are getting a late lunch."

"I can't do that right now," Erik said. Now he was the one trying not to walk any closer to the front door. "I really need to stay here. You know I can't always concentrate at the university."

"Erik, is there a reason you can't go, besides wanting to compose more music, which can wait?" Nadir said, staring his friend in the face.

Erik glanced back towards the basement and shook his head. "No. No, but let me go put something away first, okay? I cannot leave my music all unorganized." He spun around and was already to the door before Nadir could protest.

Christine was fully clothed and looked alarmed when Erik reappeared in front of her. "My sweet, I am so sorry. I have to go with Nadir or he will think something is up. Which he already does as it is." He gestured to himself. "I can get away with a lot with the whole crazy music genius thing, but even this is a bit much for me." He smoothed his hair down and straighten his clothes.

"What am I supposed to do?" Christine whispered, her voice sounding panicked. "I can't just stay here!"

"Sure you can," Erik said nonchalantly.

"No. I can't. I have class, and practice, and plans for today. I need to get back to campus." She looked up and sighed. "Whatever, its fine, I'll call Meg to pick me up."

"I am not very comfortable with other students knowing where I live..." Erik started to say.

Christine threw her hands up. "Fine. I'll walk. Have fun with Nadir." She turned her back to him and picked up her purse.

"Erik?" Nadir yelled from upstairs. "What's taking so long? Come on!"

Erik glanced up the stairs and whispered, "I'm sorry, my dear. I have to go. I promise I will make this up to you. I really don't like the thought of you walking alone, are you sure you can't just stay here?" Erik wrapped his arms around Christine and kissed the side of her head.

She tried to shrug his hug away, but really she never wanted him to let go. She considered just giving in and staying in his house until he was free to come back, but she couldn't just hide away all day. She had her own life that did not revolve around Erik. "Walking will be good for me. Just go," she said. "And yes. You do owe me. Big time."

A wicked grin formed across Erik's face. "And I am counting down the minutes until I can make it up to you, my love. Just you wait." He winked at her and then suddenly had disappeared up the stairs again.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's note: Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and added my story to your favorites/notification list. I am so happy to see people are still interested in this after so long. To those of you who originally started reading this in the past 2 years when I started it, thank you for coming back. To new readers, welcome. I hope you enjoy!

Christine had been walking down the street towards campus for five minutes when it struck her how stupid this was. She felt like she was doing the walk of shame in the middle of the day. From her professor's house. Who the hell was she, and what did she do with sweet Christine? This was something that Meg would be caught doing, not her. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed her roommate's number.

It rang for what seemed like forever before it finally clicked to Meg's smooth voice on the voicemail. "Meg, it's me. You won't believe the story I have for you. Tell you more later." She clicked the end button on her cell and frowned. She figured getting a hold of Meg in the middle of the afternoon would be nearly impossible. She is not the type of girl to just lay around in the room. She was probably in the dance studio preparing for musical rehearsals to begin.

She really did not want to walk all the way back to campus. She kicked herself for letting Erik think that this was okay. It wasn't okay. He left her alone in his house so he could eat lunch with his buddy. Who does that? She knew he had to keep a low profile because he could get into serious trouble if people found out about what just went down between them. They had officially crossed that line into dangerous territory.

She huffed and thought how she should have snooped around before leaving his house. He deserved it for abandoning her. She stopped in her tracks and looked behind her towards his house. No, but really, she thought. I should look around his place. She wanted to know what type of man he actually was, and she had a feeling she would not be getting much information out of him anytime soon. She started to walk back the way she came, her pace quickening the closer she got back to his property.

"Little Lotte, what are you doing way out here?" A warm voice asked from a car that had suddenly slowed to a stop near her.

Christine's neck whipped to the direction of the voice, not expecting to be called the pet name she had not heard in so long. She saw Ray looking at her over his sunglasses. She smiled and waved. "Oh, you know, just going for a walk. Nothing special." She wanted to spend time with Ray, but she didn't know when else she would be able to be alone in Erik's house. She needed to get back in. "What are you up to?"

Ray removed his glasses fully and smiled. "Was out running errands. My parents live in this part of town, just a few house down actually." He pointed towards a row of homes that admittedly were just as big, if not bigger, than Erik's home, but not nearly as beautiful. "This seems a long way from campus to walk around at."

She forced another smile, the sun suddenly feeling a bit too hot on the back of her neck. "I love the architecture of these homes. Especially that elaborate one at the end of the road on the corner. I was heading that way to examine it some more." It wasn't a total lie.

Ray laughed. "Oh, that house. That belongs to Dr. Destler, believe it or not. My parents went in there once. They said it felt haunted. I heard that a man was killed there when the house was being built. No one knows what really happened though." He waggled his fingers and said, "Spooky stuff, eh?"

Christine was staring in the direction of the house. "I don't know. I think it has a deep sense of beauty to it." She snapped her attention back to Ray. "But that's weird. I wonder if, um, Dr. Destler knew the guy who died."

"Who knows with that freak. He probably had him killed for not placing a brick correctly. Anyway, you should jump in the car and drive back with me. Get some food, or something." Ray was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

Erik have the man killed? Surely that could not be true. Christine's brain whirled with Ray's words and she felt heat creeping up her neck. "He is not a freak, he is a musical genius!" She suddenly heard herself almost shouting. She took a startled breath and Ray stared at her with his mouth open a bit. "I, I mean...I'm sorry, Ray. Dr. Destler just has been so kind to me with musical advice, and I haven't felt this connected to music since Dad died." She looked away briefly and fanned herself with her hand. "I'm sorry. I think the sun is getting to me. Um, I think I'm going to finish up my walk and head back to campus."

"Christine, I didn't mean to upset you," Ray started. "Please, just get in the car, I've been thinking about you non-stop since, well, since we kissed. I want to spend more time with you."

Christine smiled sadly at him. "I know, and we will. Just not right now, okay? I'm sorry. I really should go though. I promise I will talk to you soon." She waved and started walking away quickly, despite Ray trying to shout after her. She knew better than to get in his car so near Erik's home. Despite knowing Erik was not home, she just had this gut feeling he would somehow know she was spending time with Ray again. For some reason, she did not think that would be the best idea right now.

She finally was back in front of his house and glanced around the street. No one was around. No one mowing their lawns, though truth be told, this seemed like the type of neighborhood where people hired others to mow the lawn. No one unloading kids from the car, or getting the mail. She took a deep breath and scurried to the front door to get back in. She grabbed the door open and slid inside, closing the door behind her. She half expected Erik to magically appear behind her as she turned to look around the front room. He had that uncanny ability to move around like a phantom. She knew that was silly, he and Nadir would still be out somewhere hanging out. No, hanging out didn't quite seem appropriate for those two. She shook her head and told herself to focus. Who knew how much time she had to look around. She had a lot to learn about her mysterious professor.

She figured the best place to start looking would be his bedroom. The problem would be finding it in this huge house. She had a hunch he lived upstairs, away from the main parts of the home for privacy. She started walking up the stairs, trying to force away the guilty feeling gnawing at the back of her stomach.

That's all for now, dear readers. What will our lovely Christine discover about our sexy masked man? I suppose you will have to keep reading to find out! Please review, much love!


	11. Chapter 11

~~I am so honored by all the reviews. You all make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I truly do appreciate all the support!

Christine poked her head into each room as she made her way down the hallway. Each room was more breathtaking than the last. She couldn't wait to get a proper tour of the house so Erik could explain where the inspiration for each room came from. The first room appeared to be some sort of study. The walls were covered in ceiling high shelves full of books. He had an attacked ladder that could roll around the room to get to the higher up books. She could tell she would love this room. Instead of a desk, there was a drawing table. She walked over to it to take a peek at the papers scattered on the it.

There were blueprints of houses and rooms. She flipped through the papers wondering what they were all for. As she kept looking, she noticed more detailed drawings of landscapes and even some portraits. One caught her eye and she suddenly saw herself staring back up at her. Despite the drawing being incomplete, she knew it was her. In the drawing she seemed to be staring off at something, her eyes beautiful but mournful. Was this how Erik saw her? She set the drawing down and moved on to the next room.

She came across what she assumed was a guest bathroom and a spare bedroom. The bedroom was beautiful but it lacked anything personal. The bed looked like it had never actually been used. She scanned the room for anything that might stick out. The room seemed more like a museum gallery than a living space. She kept walking down the hall and opened the last door. She turned the light on and saw a grand canopy bed with flowing, sheer red curtains. The bed spread was black and grey with matching pillows. This was a place she could see Erik in. It oozed with his distinguished yet masculine taste.

She fully entered the room and let out a breath that she hadn't even realized she was holding in. She couldn't imagine spending as much time and effort into decorating her living space. She and Meg barely had a poster tacked to their dorm wall. Erik's whole house seemed like mini shrines to everything he was passionate about. Her heart was beating fast as she looked around to try to decide what to look through first. Closet seemed like an obvious choice, but Erik did not strike her as an obvious choice kind of man. She pulled the closet door open away and gasped. The closet was almost as big as her dorm room. She felt around the wall and found a light switch. All of his suits, dress shirts, vests and ties were neatly hanging. His ties seemed to be in some sort of color order. His shoes were perfectly placed in neat rows.

"Wow, OCD, much, Erik?" She muttered to herself. She let her hands trail across some of the clothes. The materials felt exotic to her skin.

She grabbed a box from the shelf and started to dig through it. It mostly had old plane tickets and newspaper clippings. A yellowed, slightly faded clipping caught her eye. She read the headline reading, "Devil Child Curses Crowd." She squinted at the pictured printed on the old newspaper and saw a small child trying to cover his face. His eyes pierced through her though and she knew the boy was Erik. He looked dangerously thin, his clothes hanging from his shoulders and he had a chain around his left ankle. Christine couldn't believe what she was seeing. Had Erik been some sort of side show in his youth? The article talked about a traveling circus that went from town to town. Apparently at this particular stop Erik screamed a curse onto the crowd of gawkers. Christine silently hoped whatever curse he said worked.

She quickly shoved the papers back into the box, not wanting to see more. She put the box back on the shelf and moved back into the main part of the room. She then pulled out the drawer of high night stand. In it was a notepad and pen and a collection of short stories he must have been reading before bed. She suddenly thought how she used to keep personal things under her bed. She got down on her hands and knees and peeked under the bed skirt. It was too dark to see anything so she started blindly reaching around. Her hand finally grasped something solid, so she pulled it out. It was an old leather photo album. She shifted to a sitting position and opened the album up in her lap. The first page had a beautiful woman and a dark haired man who looked like Erik, but his face was not covered. This man also had a softer look to his face. He looked truly happy.

Christine softly touched her finger tips to the man's face. It felt weird seeing what Erik would look like without his mask on. She longed to remove his mask even more to see what was under. She finally turned her attention to the woman and realized there was something familiar looking about her. Her flowing hair, her cheek structure, even the shape of her eyes all seemed to mirror her own looks. She looked freakishly similar to this woman. She turned the page and saw the same woman. This time she looked worn down, like the world was weighing down on her. She was holding a baby, but the picture had been torn so Christine could not see the baby's face. Below the picture was scribbled "Erik, 1 month." The woman must have been his mother.

She turned the page and saw more pictures of young Erik but he always had a stiff looking mask covering his face. Christine's mouth fell open. No wonder he always wore that thing, its the only thing he has know. His own mother must have made him cover his face even at such a young age. She thought of the newspaper clippings of Erik in the touring circus. She could not figure out how he went from this life with his mother to being a side show attraction. She had a strong feeling that there was so much more to Erik that one day of snooping would not explain. She closed the album feeling a bit sick to her stomach. No wonder Erik did not like or trust many people. How many people had judge and tortured him throughout his life because of his face? She shoved the book under the bed and stood up. All she wanted to do was leave. She had seen enough for now.

She turned the light off and closed the bedroom door behind her and turned to walk back down the hall when suddenly she ran into something solid. She shrieked at the impact and realized it was Erik staring at her, eyes narrowed.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" His voice was colder than Jeuno in the dead of winter.

Shit. Christine thought. Oh, shit. "I, uh, I was trying to find the bathroom?" She offered weakly. Her eyes darted to the stairs and she wondered what would happen if she tried to run off.

~~Oh, dear. What type of trouble has our darling Christine found herself in now? Please review!


	12. Chapter 12

~~ Thank you, thank you to all my reviewers and readers! You all make my day every time I see a new notification. Sorry for the short chapters lately. I have been writing them in the small bits of free time I get..

Chapter 12

Erik had felt guilty, even annoyed, the entire time he was out to lunch with Nadir. All he could think about was finding Christine and apologizing for abandoning her like that. He wasn't even hungry, but he knew that Nadir had him cornered and if he declined the invite Nadir would become even more suspicious of his feelings towards Christine. Not that Erik felt that he owed any sort of explanation to his friend, but he knew that Nadir could make life incredibly difficult if he so chose.

He decided at this point denying any relations with Christine besides that of professor and student would be best for now. He could maybe even go as far as claiming her to be his mentee, but even that would be suspicious as Erik had never shown interest in any student, ever. He knew that Nadir would understand his fascination of wanting to train Christine. Not even Nadir could deny the talent that runs through Christine's veins. He was doing the world a favor, really, by spending so much him with his angel and shaping her voice. Hearing her voice was an experience ever person with working ears ought to have. He just wanted to have that experience more than everyone else.

He did not manage to eat very much while with his friend. Erik, like with everything else in his life, was quite particular about the food he consumed. Nadir took him to their favorite little cafe not too far from campus. He sipped his coffee and only poked at his food. Food was the farthest thing from his mind. He barely heard the babble coming from Nadir's mouth.

"...and apparently the Changy family is giving even more money for the musical, which is good. We really did need a new sound system. I think this recent donation has to do with their son's interest in our newest soprano," Nadir was saying when Erik finally started listening again.

Erik quickly looked up from his cup of coffee. "What? What are you going on about, Nadir?"

Nadir sighed. "I knew you weren't listening, but really, do you ever? The Changy family has given us yet another donation. You should be thanking them, not looking so angry. If you don't want them to get all the credit you could donate more you know..."

"Credit be damned, you fool. That is not what I care about at all. Of course I am happy the theatre will be able to do even more, but what were you saying about why? Because that pompous Ray has a crush?" Erik couldn't believe Ray would turn to his parents to cut a check to try to win over his Christine. Erik was not willing to share.

Nadir smiled and raised his eyebrow. "Why do you care why you are given this money as long as you get to spend it on the musical? Yes, I admit that it seems a bit over the top to try to woe Christine this way, but-"

"But nothing!" Erik interrupted standing up abruptly. He realized his voice had raised with anger and other patrons of the cafe were staring at him. He quickly sat back down. "Christine would be won over by such childish actions. A real man would not turn to his parents to 'woe' a lady." He stood up again and threw his napkin on the chair. "I'm finished here." He walked off with Nadir staring after him.

"Oh, my dear friend. What have you gotten yourself into?" Nadir asked, putting his head into his hands. He had not seen Erik react this way towards a woman in a very long time, another lifetime ago. It did not end up well for anyone involved.

Erik made his way home, upset that Ray thought this would be the way to win his Christine's heart. Ray needed to know that her heart already belonged to him. Erik knew this meant he needed to find a way to spend even more time with Christine so she wouldn't be able to give Ray attention. The musical would be starting practices in the next few days and that would take up much of her time. He would then insist on special private training and surely she would agree.

He was still deep in thought about how to keep Christine to himself when he made his way up the stairs in his house. He wanted to shower and have a chance to take his mask off. The damned thing was so uncomfortable. He started to lift the mask off with his right hand and reached out his left hand to open his bedroom door. At that moment the door flung open and suddenly Christine, who was still looking behind her into the room, ran straight into his chest. His right hand shoved the mask firmly back on and he took a step back, startled.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" he growled, sounding angrier than he would like to speak to his beloved Christine, but he did not tolerate people snooping in his private space.

Her face paled as if she had just seen a ghost and her eyes widened. Her face went from looking upset to fear. He glanced into his room to see what would have made her upset in there before running into him. "I, uh, I was trying to find the bathroom?" she said lamely. She grimaced as if even she realized how ridiculous that sounded.

He raised his brows at her and crossed his arms. "You skipped the two bathrooms downstairs, the guest one up here and went straight for my private one? Really?"

Her fingers started tugging at the bottom of her shirt nervously. "And, I thought you left after I did? I thought you were too busy to just wait to me. So again I ask, what are you doing, Christine?"

She felt as if she had just disappointed a parent and it made her sick to her stomach. Her hand was caught in the cookie jar, but much worse. She had a sinking feeling that Erik did not handle lies very well.

"You left me, remember?" She shot back, trying to turn the tables. "You didn't seem to mind too much just up and leaving and lying left and right to Nadir." She still oozed the scent of guilt despite trying to put blame on Erik. He knew she must have found something in his room she wasn't supposed to. Problem was, that could be many things in there.

"That was different!" He shot back, his voice raising. "That was to protect both of us, Christine. Do you really think the school would turn a blind eye to a professor and his student? No. I would lose my job, you would sure as hell not be able to further your music career and you would be fooling yourself if you think you would still be a student there!" He wanted to shake her so she understood, but he was trying with ever ounce of strength not to lay a hand on her while angry. Restraint was not one of his strong suits.

He gripped his hands tightly until they started to shake. "I suggest you leave now," he said through gritted teeth.

"No!" She shouted. "Are you kidding me? Is this how you always are, Erik? Something doesn't go the way you want so you totally lose your cool? Grow up!" She knew she was just poking the bear at this point, but she didn't even care. She wanted to know more about the pictures and articles she saw. It was now or never.

"Christine-" Erik warned, his voice sounding strained.

"I know you were an attraction in a circus!" She blurted out. "I saw the pictures and articles." Her eyes went huge and she threw her hands over her mouth, not believing she actually shouted that out.

Erik's hands fell to his sides and his shoulders slumped down. He aggressively ran his hands through his hair. He could hear Nadir's voice in the back of his brain telling him to just walk away. Don't snap. Walk away. He closed his eyes and took a struggling breath. He silently turned and walked down the hall, away from her. Away from what he was about to do.

"Wait!" Her voice was high pitched and panicked. "Wait, Erik! I'm, I'm so sorry," she started following him, practically running since his strides were so much bigger than her own.

He kept walking and suddenly he was already at the bottom of the stairs. Christine was still scurrying after him, trying to apologize.

Finally he stop and turned to face her. If looks could murder, Christine would have dropped dead right there. He held up his hand before she had a chance to speak again. "Stay where you are, Christine." His voice was like acid. It burned her ears. She couldn't believe that voice came out of the same man who could make her swoon by simply speaking in his deep, soothing voice. "I cannot be held responsible for my actions right now, so stay over there."

She took a step forward. "I don't believe you." She took a deep breath. "You talk a big game, Erik, but I don't buy it."

"You know nothing, you stupid girl." He knew he had to be careful. Last time he was this angry, well, it wasn't pretty. "You snooped through my things then, hmm? So you should have a small hint of what I am capable of doing."

"That curse couldn't possibly be real," she said softly.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course it wasn't a curse, I am not a wizard. Or, as much as my mother would disagree, the devil. But I am a very powerful man, and I've told you before I have many skills. Some are more deadly than others."

"But you were a child. What did you do?" She was looking at him, not with fear as she should but with pity.

That pity stabbed Erik in the heart. He sat on the couch and stared at the ground, feeling the anger emptying him. "Do not," he said sternly, "go through my things. Ever again." He finally looked up at her.

She frowned and moved to sit next to him. She reached out for his hand. "You didn't answer my question. What did you do to them?"

He closed his eyes again. Memories of that night used to haunt him, but eventually he had to fight to survive enough times that he became numb to it all. Then it became less about survival and more about feeling alive. Feeling the power rush through him that nothing else but control another in those last moments of life could provide.

"I am incredibly talented in throwing my voice, my dear." He let go of her hand and looked at her.

"I can make it seem like the voice is coming from anywhere," he said softly, but the words sounded like he was whispering intimately into her ear. She brushed her ear instinctually, but there was nothing there. "Or from anything," he said, this time his voice coming from a statue sitting on the end table next to the couch.

"Oh Erik, that's amazing," Christine breathed. She leaned towards the statue, mesmerized. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

He smirked. "Well, after one particularly rough night at the circus, I snapped. Everyone staring at me, taunting me, spitting at me. I was only a child, I didn't understand. I still don't understand." He paused not wanting to say more. He didn't want to scare away his angel. "Apparently I made some of them go a bit crazy," he said simply. "Really, it isn't my fault some of them were already unstable. They probably would have snapped at some point, I just sped the process up." He looked at her and sighed. "I threw my voice so a baby this woman in the crowd was holding was suddenly speaking different languages. The uneducated people thought it was being possessed by an evil spirt. Of course they thought I put it there. As I made that baby speak, I made another infant in the crowd start singing a funeral march. And so forth until every baby seemed to have the devil in them. It escalated from there."

"You were just scared. You were a child yourself," She said.

He didn't believe his eyes that she was not scared of him, or judging him. "Well, that is just the beginning of what I did. It became a slippery slope from there, my dear. Being on my bad side is an unwise move." He looked at her straight in the eyes. "That being said, do not go behind my back like you did today. I make no promise how I'd react next time."

"Is that a threat?" She asked.

"No. A warning. One you should pay attention to."

Christine looked down uncomfortable for a few moments. "I wouldn't have to snoop if you actually were more open about stuff like this with me," she said softly. "I understand you have a past, Erik. A very dark one it seems, but I'm not running. You aren't like that anymore." This time she looked him in the eyes, challenging him. "Are you?"

"Like I said, I make no promises."

~~ Christine got off pretty easy with our dear Erik, but I didn't want her to fully witness what he could be like just yet. Please review and I hope you enjoyed the longer chapter!


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